Skip to product information
1 of 1

Goldsboro Books

978-1668046388

A Very Private School

A Very Private School

by Charles Spencer

Publisher William Collins

Genre: Non-Fiction

Released:

  • Signed
  • Hardback
  • UK First Edition/First Printing


Regular price £25.00
Regular price Sale price £25.00
Sale Sold out
Rendering loop-subscriptions
Rendering loop-subscriptions

Available from:

Limited Edition Copies

View full details

About the book

In this poignant memoir, Charles Spencer recounts the trauma of being sent away from home at age eight to attend a boarding school.

A Very Private School offers a clear-eyed, firsthand account of a culture of cruelty at the school Spencer attended in his youth and provides important insights into an antiquated boarding system. Drawing on the memories of many of his schoolboy contemporaries, as well as his own letters and diaries from the time, he reflects on the hopelessness and abandonment he felt aged eight, viscerally describing the intense pain of homesickness and the appalling inescapability of it all. Exploring the long-lasting impact of his experiences, Spencer presents a candid reckoning with his past and a reclamation of his childhood.

Collapsible content

About the Author

Charles Spencer

Charles Spencer was awarded an MA in Modern History from Magdalen College, Oxford University. He worked for the American TV network NBC News for a decade from 1986, as an on-air correspondent, and wrote his own scripts for his pieces for the TODAY Show.

Charles Spencer has since presented for the History Channel, and has been interviewed in his capacity as an expert historian on several occasions by the BBC, most recently in the BBC4 three part series Charles I: Downfall of a King.

From TV it has been a short stroll to writing books. Althorp: the Story of an English House was the first (published in 1998), followed by The Spencer Family (called The Spencers in the USA), Blenheim: Battle for Europe (a Sunday Times bestseller, which was shortlisted for ‘History Book of the Year’ in the 2005 National Book Awards), Prince Rupert: the Last Cavalier, Killers of the King (a Sunday Times bestseller), and To Catch A King (a London Times bestseller).

Charles Spencer has written articles for Vanity Fair, the Spectator, the Sunday Telegraph, the Guardian, and has reviewed books for many publications, including the Mail on Sunday, and the Financial Times.

  • Professionally Packed

    All of our books that have a dust wrapper are covered in clear protective, removable film and are packed professionally in bubble wrap and a box for shipping so that they reach you in perfect condition.

  • Book Condition & Notes

  • The October Must-Reads: Bookseller Top Picks

    The October Must-Reads: Bookseller Top Picks

    David Headley

    As the leaves turn and the evenings draw in, there’s nothing quite like settling down with a brilliant new book to escape into.  With so many incredible titles being released...

    David Headley

    The October Must-Reads: Bookseller Top Picks

    As the leaves turn and the evenings draw in, there’s nothing quite like settling down with a brilliant new book to escape into.  With so many incredible titles being released...

  • Glass Bell Winner 2024: Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

    Glass Bell Winner 2024: Clytemnestra by Costanz...

    Rebecca McDonnell

      This evening, Goldsboro Books announced the winner of their seventh Glass Bell Award, Costanza Casati for her evocative Greek retelling, Clytemnestra (Michael Joseph, May 2023).  The Award was presented...

    Rebecca McDonnell

    Glass Bell Winner 2024: Clytemnestra by Costanz...

      This evening, Goldsboro Books announced the winner of their seventh Glass Bell Award, Costanza Casati for her evocative Greek retelling, Clytemnestra (Michael Joseph, May 2023).  The Award was presented...

  • An Interview with David Wragg

    An Interview with David Wragg

    Goldsboro Books

    We recently had the joy of hosting David Wragg as he signed copies of The Company of the Wolf, the sequel to The Hunters in the Tales of the Plains...

    Goldsboro Books

    An Interview with David Wragg

    We recently had the joy of hosting David Wragg as he signed copies of The Company of the Wolf, the sequel to The Hunters in the Tales of the Plains...

  • Goldsboro's Summer Bestseller List: London vs Brighton

    Goldsboro's Summer Bestseller List: London vs B...

    David Headley

    We’re delighted to reveal our summer bestseller lists from our independent bookshops in Brighton and London. This summer has been another incredible season for the book community, highlighting a strong...

    David Headley

    Goldsboro's Summer Bestseller List: London vs B...

    We’re delighted to reveal our summer bestseller lists from our independent bookshops in Brighton and London. This summer has been another incredible season for the book community, highlighting a strong...

1 of 4